The Sprint Race in the United States Grand Prix at the Austin circuit saw Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz as key players, battling for 19 laps. The two Ferrari drivers dueled, always within the limits, trying to get as close as possible to the podium.
In the end, the Spaniard came out on top: starting from fifth position, he finished the short race in second place. His Maranello teammate, however, finished fourth, having to settle for staying off the podium, despite the investigation into Lando Norris’ move, which was judged to be unfair towards him.
When asked if the fight between him and Charles Leclerc in the Austin Sprint cost them both the chance of victory, Carlos Sainz responded:
“Well, first of all, I disagree with your comment,” he said in the post-race press conference. “It’s a Sprint, and I believe everyone fights hard from start to finish.” – he pointed out at the end of the Sprint race.
Carlos Sainz then explained if there will be team orders during Sunday’s race to prevent similar situations. “Obviously, the main race is longer, where everyone tends to manage the tires more and so on. And everyone applies the lessons learned from the Sprint.”
For driver #55, it will be about “being in a position to try to win again. And, like everything else, a lot of things are determined by the start and the first lap. You never know how it will turn out.”
Carlos Sainz explained that there won’t be a “super clear plan, because it usually changes after the first corner and completely after the start. So we’ll see.”
The Spanish driver is confident that if he and Charles Leclerc work together, Ferrari can “fight with those two guys up front [Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, editor’s note]. Can we beat them starting behind them? That’s another thing. It’s never easy to overtake in Formula 1, especially when it comes to McLaren and Red Bull.” – Carlos Sainz concluded.
Leave a Reply